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Jul 6, 2011
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i just returned from a trip to afghanistan. i cannot describe how impressed i am with the commitment, the dedication and the work carried out every single day by our men and women in uniform and those in the civilian services. i met and spoke with them in kabul, bases and air force bases and small villages. quite simply, they are incredible. but over and over and over again, i heard the same message, this is not sustainable. the strategy that we are pursuing in afghanistan is not sustainable and it is costing us too much in human lives and financial resources to continue. it can't continue for another 18 months as called for by the president, let alone even longer. i stand here tonight more convinced than ever that it is time to forge a new path, a new strategy, built upon past and present accomplishments and more aggressively focused on reducing the military footprint in afghanistan than the plan described by the president last month, accelerating the transition of combat operations and intense international and regional effor
i just returned from a trip to afghanistan. i cannot describe how impressed i am with the commitment, the dedication and the work carried out every single day by our men and women in uniform and those in the civilian services. i met and spoke with them in kabul, bases and air force bases and small villages. quite simply, they are incredible. but over and over and over again, i heard the same message, this is not sustainable. the strategy that we are pursuing in afghanistan is not sustainable...
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Jul 6, 2011
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good morning to those here, good evening in afghanistan. i'd like to welcome pack to the pentagon briefing room, army lieutenant general david rodriguez. he's commander of the international security assistance force joint command, also known as i.j.c. and also the deputy commander of the united states forces afghanistan. general rodriguez's current tour began in june, 2009, he became the first commander of the i.j.c. in october of that year. prior to that, general rodriguez was commander of regional command east for 15 months from january, 2007 to april, 2008. next week after two straight years in command and more than 40 months in after gap stan over the past 4 1/2 year, general rodriguez is ski wruled to change command and return stateside to have u.s. army forces command. the general most recently joined us here in person last february and we're very grate to feel see him this morning via satellite for an update on operations before he changes command. with that, general, i'll return it to you. >> good morning, dave. thank you for that i
good morning to those here, good evening in afghanistan. i'd like to welcome pack to the pentagon briefing room, army lieutenant general david rodriguez. he's commander of the international security assistance force joint command, also known as i.j.c. and also the deputy commander of the united states forces afghanistan. general rodriguez's current tour began in june, 2009, he became the first commander of the i.j.c. in october of that year. prior to that, general rodriguez was commander of...
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Jul 7, 2011
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number one, there's very little local government infrastructure in afghanistan. the fact that we build a road or a school doesn't mean there's a government or authority to maintain it. so we build something, the moment we turn the keys over it falls into disuse and disrepair. second, the expense of doing this is enormous. you know, it may make sense to to these civic projects that do create some good will, but to do them, mr. speaker, in a middle of a shooting war or is it better to do it before or after the war when you have a chance to -- for this implementation to occur? third, there's an immense amount of ripping off of money from the american taxpayer. it goes -- it gets lost, it gets picked up. it's too rampant in afghanistan. so according to a report in "the washington post," and, mr. speaker, i will be asking you to submit "the washington post" in the record, half of this money, minimum of $400 million, has gone missing. it's wasted and it's coming out of our taxpayer pockets. our amendment, my amendment would cut in half the $400 million, reduce it to $0
number one, there's very little local government infrastructure in afghanistan. the fact that we build a road or a school doesn't mean there's a government or authority to maintain it. so we build something, the moment we turn the keys over it falls into disuse and disrepair. second, the expense of doing this is enormous. you know, it may make sense to to these civic projects that do create some good will, but to do them, mr. speaker, in a middle of a shooting war or is it better to do it...
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Jul 13, 2011
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during its nine-year war in afghanistan. public polls are clear, americans know the cost of the war in afghanistan is unsustainable and want us to withdraw as soon as possible. when it comes to cutting back on support for the neediest americans, we can't seem to face the urgent reality that the money that we spend abroad needs to be spent here at home. the financial facts tell the story, taxpayers in my district in seattle have spent $1.1 trillion -- billion for afghanistan war to date. think about that. one city, $1.1 billion. for the same amount of money we could provide health care for 700,000 children from low-income families or put 125,000 kids in head start or health care for 150,000 more veterans. imagine how different it would be if states like wisconsin which faces a $3.6 billion budget deficit did not have to bear the cost of the war in afghanistan. so the question before us is simple, what is our priority? fighting a war with no end? or investing in the american people? the answer lies in what kind of country we a
during its nine-year war in afghanistan. public polls are clear, americans know the cost of the war in afghanistan is unsustainable and want us to withdraw as soon as possible. when it comes to cutting back on support for the neediest americans, we can't seem to face the urgent reality that the money that we spend abroad needs to be spent here at home. the financial facts tell the story, taxpayers in my district in seattle have spent $1.1 trillion -- billion for afghanistan war to date. think...
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Jul 21, 2011
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attack in afghanistan. as we grieve the lots of one of our finest citizens and share the grief with his family, we marvel that such heros have lived among us. he gave up everything to protect his neighbors and extend the blessings of freedom to those who have never known it. he was proud to serve his country. in honor of him, we need to thank our service men and women and pray every day for their safe return. we monitor the service and memory of the lance corporal and follow his example of patriotic duty, honor and sacrifice in our daily walk as americans. semper fi, lance corporal. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, for five minutes. mr. mcclintock: thank you, mr. speaker. on june 26, the roadside bomb in iraq claimed the life of a young man from orville, california, army staff sergeant russell jeremiah procter, age 25, on his third tour of combat duty. he was laid to rest last week in silent ceremonies in california. sergeant procter leaves behind
attack in afghanistan. as we grieve the lots of one of our finest citizens and share the grief with his family, we marvel that such heros have lived among us. he gave up everything to protect his neighbors and extend the blessings of freedom to those who have never known it. he was proud to serve his country. in honor of him, we need to thank our service men and women and pray every day for their safe return. we monitor the service and memory of the lance corporal and follow his example of...
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Jul 26, 2011
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in fact, the wars of iraq and afghanistan were longer than world war ii. and all of those moneys were spent under the last administration, tax cuts that went about for individuals who by and large have said no thank you because they want to invest in america. so i'm prepared to join with my many friends to work on moving this country forward, but let's move on. let's move on beyond the impossible proposal given by speaker boehner of that -- that focuses on a hybrid, vote now for the debt ceiling then come back and fight it out again in six months. that is not the consistency and the evenness that is necessary for all of those who are seeking employment or all of those businesses or all of those in the arena of money making. they need an even pathway. and so while we get on with the ordinary business, get on with the ordinary business so that we can begin to talk about the growth of this country, education for the young people, making sure the doors of businesses stay open, talk about how do we fix a tax system where we all can benefit. but as long as we ar
in fact, the wars of iraq and afghanistan were longer than world war ii. and all of those moneys were spent under the last administration, tax cuts that went about for individuals who by and large have said no thank you because they want to invest in america. so i'm prepared to join with my many friends to work on moving this country forward, but let's move on. let's move on beyond the impossible proposal given by speaker boehner of that -- that focuses on a hybrid, vote now for the debt...
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Jul 20, 2011
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afghanistan alone is costing $10 billion a month with the total price tag for iraq and afghanistan going back 10 years $3.2 trillion. and that's a conservative estimate, mr. speaker. these are staggering figures, especially during a recession when americans are crying out for washington to do something about creating jobs and breathing life back into our economy. and what are the taxpayers getting for their trillions of dollars in war spending? more than 6,100 dead americans, continued violence in iraq and a prime minister whose cozying up to iran and an ongoing civil war in libya. a corrupt regime in kabul, insurgents that continue to kill at will. in afghanistan, a nation still under crushing poverty and an afghan government that cannot protect its own people. by any measure these wars have been a devastating failure and yet with barely any scrutiny, barely any debate and certainly no outrage from republican leaders, we continue to write that check. meanwhile, we have domestic programs that work, proven investments in the survival and prosperity of our people. medicare, social security
afghanistan alone is costing $10 billion a month with the total price tag for iraq and afghanistan going back 10 years $3.2 trillion. and that's a conservative estimate, mr. speaker. these are staggering figures, especially during a recession when americans are crying out for washington to do something about creating jobs and breathing life back into our economy. and what are the taxpayers getting for their trillions of dollars in war spending? more than 6,100 dead americans, continued violence...
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Jul 20, 2011
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so the iraq war and the afghanistan war. the other thing is this downturn in the economy. the downturn in the economy occurred in 2008. how did it happen, why did we have that crash of the american economy? we had it because the federal government stepped back from regulating the financial institutions, allowing them to run wild, assuming that they would be smart enough to regulate themselves. that didn't happen. they were smart enough to be extraordinarily greedy. wall street went on a greed binge and the result was the collapse of the financial industry. needless to say there were other players in this game and many americans, hundreds of thousands of americans joined in the game and took out mortgages, bought house that there was no way they could possibly afford. the financial industry, the mortgage industry and wall street bankers and we wound up with the great collapse of 2008. to deal with that the bailout of wall street occurred, most of that has now been paid back. it worked. did it work for the benefit of americans? well, it stabilized the financial institutions
so the iraq war and the afghanistan war. the other thing is this downturn in the economy. the downturn in the economy occurred in 2008. how did it happen, why did we have that crash of the american economy? we had it because the federal government stepped back from regulating the financial institutions, allowing them to run wild, assuming that they would be smart enough to regulate themselves. that didn't happen. they were smart enough to be extraordinarily greedy. wall street went on a greed...
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Jul 1, 2011
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[applause] i ran for president because i believe we need to refocus our energy in afghanistan to go after al qaeda. we are going after al qaeda. we have taken out their leadership. because of our progress and the extraordinary sacrifice up our troops, we are propelling the commitment i made at the start to reduce our troops starting this month so that afghans can start taking responsibility for their own security and we can start rebuilding right here at home. [applause] it is time to start rebuilding here at home. it is time for nation-building right here. we live in a world where america is facing stiff competition for good jobs from rapidly growing nations like china, india, and brazil. for a long time, we were told that the best way to win that competition was to undermine consumer protection, undermine clean air and clean water laws, hand out tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. that was the idea that helped for close to a decade. -- held sway or close to a decade. it did not work out very well. if you look at our history, it has never worked out real well. -- very well. amer
[applause] i ran for president because i believe we need to refocus our energy in afghanistan to go after al qaeda. we are going after al qaeda. we have taken out their leadership. because of our progress and the extraordinary sacrifice up our troops, we are propelling the commitment i made at the start to reduce our troops starting this month so that afghans can start taking responsibility for their own security and we can start rebuilding right here at home. [applause] it is time to start...
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Jul 22, 2011
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seniors or putting doubt into the minds of our military while they're dodging bullets in places like afghanistan. we'd have confidence. but instead he says he can't guarantee. mr. speaker, we know he can. we know he can guarantee. we should push that on him out of this house to let him know where we stand, so the american people understand there is a moral standard here. one is, tell the truth. the second moral standard is, pay our military, the other moral standard is guarantee the full faith and credit of the united states government. i laid out the rest of these priorities, mr. speaker and cut, cap, and balance is an important position to stand on. the leverage that's here now must be used or we shirk our responsibility. had the leverage been stronger back in 1995, that extra vote in the senate that i spoke about some minutes ago would have been there, i believe and i believe the balanced budget amendment would have been sent to the states and i believe the states would have ratified it and if that had been part of the constitution the kay i came -- the day i came here in january of 2003 i wo
seniors or putting doubt into the minds of our military while they're dodging bullets in places like afghanistan. we'd have confidence. but instead he says he can't guarantee. mr. speaker, we know he can. we know he can guarantee. we should push that on him out of this house to let him know where we stand, so the american people understand there is a moral standard here. one is, tell the truth. the second moral standard is, pay our military, the other moral standard is guarantee the full faith...
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Jul 8, 2011
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and afghanistan as a whole had seen how evil the taliban was. how much damage they could do to society as they burned paintings and books and films and totally suppressed freedom in afghanistan. they knew. these people were evil but they were afraid of them but with the united states weaponry, with our guidance and intelligence training these people defeated the taliban. what i was not aware of until we met with these folks and turns out i could have been aware, i just was not, but do you the research, you find out, the bush administration convinced the northern alliance, ok, now that you've whipped the taliban you need to totally disarm. because we're the united states and we're here and we'll make sure nothing happens to you again. well, the northern alliance messed up because they trusted us and they turned in their weapons, i asked one, you turned in all your weapons? well, apparently they have some small arms, but nothing that would allow them to take on the taliban again. naturally these people were concerned because they know because they
and afghanistan as a whole had seen how evil the taliban was. how much damage they could do to society as they burned paintings and books and films and totally suppressed freedom in afghanistan. they knew. these people were evil but they were afraid of them but with the united states weaponry, with our guidance and intelligence training these people defeated the taliban. what i was not aware of until we met with these folks and turns out i could have been aware, i just was not, but do you the...
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Jul 22, 2011
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beyond afghanistan and iraq, the u.s. bases, as i said, a multitude of other strategic and institutional challenges. we must reset a stressed force, we must prepare for emerging threats, cyber attackers, nuclear proliferation, rising powers that will demand that we work towards greater transparency and better diplomacy. and we must do all we can so that we recognize that in this effort we do not have a blank check from the american people, that we will face the physical challenges that confront us, but we will do it in a way that maintains the strength of our country. based on my long experience in government and in working with budgets, i really believe that we do not have to make a choice between fiscal discipline and national security. by setting priorities based on sound strategy, based on good policy, we can focus a strong and innovative defense policy that confronts the future and deals with the threats that we will face in the future, and that focuses those resources we need at those threats of today and tomorrow.
beyond afghanistan and iraq, the u.s. bases, as i said, a multitude of other strategic and institutional challenges. we must reset a stressed force, we must prepare for emerging threats, cyber attackers, nuclear proliferation, rising powers that will demand that we work towards greater transparency and better diplomacy. and we must do all we can so that we recognize that in this effort we do not have a blank check from the american people, that we will face the physical challenges that confront...
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Jul 27, 2011
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in afghanistan, pakistan, countries where the united states has invested its treasure and lives of countless brave american soldiers, persecution of christians run rampant. on november 7 last year, pakistani court says the christian bother was killed for the crime of blast familiary. her fate still remains at this moment unclear. pakistan blasphemy laws are used to victimize religious minorities and muslims. ern earlier this year, punjab's governor was shot and killed by his own bodyguard who reportedly told police he quote killed him because of the government opposition to pakistan's laws. in april, pakistan's federal ministry for minority affairs heroic man of faith whose courageous and outspoken leadership against his nation's draconian law made him a prime target of extremist islamist elements in the country. he was assassinated. he was the only christian member of the pakistani parliament. in the interview of the "washington post," fred said, quote, urged americans not to foresake us or not to forget us. pakistan's suffering religious minority community. members of the jewish faith cont
in afghanistan, pakistan, countries where the united states has invested its treasure and lives of countless brave american soldiers, persecution of christians run rampant. on november 7 last year, pakistani court says the christian bother was killed for the crime of blast familiary. her fate still remains at this moment unclear. pakistan blasphemy laws are used to victimize religious minorities and muslims. ern earlier this year, punjab's governor was shot and killed by his own bodyguard who...
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Jul 18, 2011
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the vast majority have been carried out in so-called tribal areas on the border with afghanistan there. over the years, the number has gone up steadily. the first few years of the strike 2004 to 2007, just a handful, and we see it going up. 2010, under the obama administration, really rising. but a policy never fully publicly articulated. 118 strikes last year. 45 so far this year. pakistanis said a couple of months ago that they wanted to stop here they ordered the cia out of an air base in pakistan were some of the raids have been launched. by my reckoning, there have been a dozen sense, so have these been done like the big law the raid itself against the will of the pakistan government? we do not know for sure, but we do know that our defensive about it, and last month, for example, john brennan tried to allay concerns and talked about new procedure and said that in the past year there have not been a single collateral death because of the exceptional efficiency and provision -- decision of the capabilities they been able to develop. they say no one has been killed. >> so have they
the vast majority have been carried out in so-called tribal areas on the border with afghanistan there. over the years, the number has gone up steadily. the first few years of the strike 2004 to 2007, just a handful, and we see it going up. 2010, under the obama administration, really rising. but a policy never fully publicly articulated. 118 strikes last year. 45 so far this year. pakistanis said a couple of months ago that they wanted to stop here they ordered the cia out of an air base in...
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Jul 26, 2011
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brave men and women in uniform who have given their lives in the service of our nation in iraq and afghanistan and their families and of all who serve in our armed forces and their families. the chair: without objection, two-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the request for a railroaded -- vord -- recorded vote on amendment number 2 by the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in house report 112-181, offered by mr. rush of illinois. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. a sufficient number having risen, a recorded vote is ordered. this will be a two-minute vote, followed by a series of additional two-minute votes. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of represent
brave men and women in uniform who have given their lives in the service of our nation in iraq and afghanistan and their families and of all who serve in our armed forces and their families. the chair: without objection, two-minute voting will continue. the unfinished business is the request for a railroaded -- vord -- recorded vote on amendment number 2 by the gentleman from illinois, mr. rush, on which further proceedings were postponed, on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk...
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Jul 19, 2011
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it cut social programs, would get us out of iraq and afghanistan, it would take a serious look out of social security and medicare and in many cases contributing to this deficit. and it would say that those who benefit from ethanol subsidies and oil company tax breaks, the wealthiest people in this country would have to pay a little bit more to pay their fair share. something like that is what should be on the floor here this afternoon because it can pass, the president can sign it and it can solve the fiscal problems of this country or take us in the right direction. but we don't have something like that. instead we have a plan that says the following and puts it in the constitution, the guy who runs an ethanol company who gets massive public subsidies can make profits is completely left alone. he doesn't have to do anything. but for the woman who cleans his office at night is going to have to pay more to go to college, more for health care for herself, her children and her parents and more for just about anything she wants in her life. there's something wrong with that picture. sacr
it cut social programs, would get us out of iraq and afghanistan, it would take a serious look out of social security and medicare and in many cases contributing to this deficit. and it would say that those who benefit from ethanol subsidies and oil company tax breaks, the wealthiest people in this country would have to pay a little bit more to pay their fair share. something like that is what should be on the floor here this afternoon because it can pass, the president can sign it and it can...
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Jul 11, 2011
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one out of every six department of defense dollars is going to afghanistan. we got the taliban out of power. karzai stood for free elections in 2004. al qaeda was dismantled and sent into western pakistan. this is not a nation-building exercise. this is a counter-terror exercise. we do not need 100,000 troops on the ground of the cost we're paying today in order to get the job done. [applause] thank you. i am here to tell you the future of the united states is not going to be determined in the prairies of afghanistan. the future of the united states is going to be determined by how well-prepared we are to compete in a highly competitive 21st century. that battle will be waged across the pacific ocean. we have some work to do. as you walk out of this building, i want you to remember why we're in this race. it is because it is about the generation and we're about to pass the country to and the condition in which they will find it. my priorities will be debt and spending. we have no choice. trajectory we're on is unsustainable. launching a new industrial revolut
one out of every six department of defense dollars is going to afghanistan. we got the taliban out of power. karzai stood for free elections in 2004. al qaeda was dismantled and sent into western pakistan. this is not a nation-building exercise. this is a counter-terror exercise. we do not need 100,000 troops on the ground of the cost we're paying today in order to get the job done. [applause] thank you. i am here to tell you the future of the united states is not going to be determined in the...
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Jul 11, 2011
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were it not for kazakhstan, we would not be able to do things militarily to support our troops in afghanistan and iraq. i view this, i think it bears close watching, but there is a perception that somehow we're giving our china, india, brazil and other countries an advantage. i view this program as a two-way street. it does provide a degree of access to american companies and so i would be also reluctant -- i reluctantly oppose your amendment but i can assure you that both of us feel very strongly that it bears watching. it has borne some fruit. mr. frelinghuysen: it's not money wasted, it's not money given away to competitors. thank you for yielding. mr. visclosky: but again, i think it draws attention that we should be closely monitoring these funds. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from fey rise? >> i move to strike the last word. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. broun: i'd like to yield to dr. harris from maryland. mr. harris: let me briefly address this so we can move on. we only cut $6 million out of the $8 million. there
were it not for kazakhstan, we would not be able to do things militarily to support our troops in afghanistan and iraq. i view this, i think it bears close watching, but there is a perception that somehow we're giving our china, india, brazil and other countries an advantage. i view this program as a two-way street. it does provide a degree of access to american companies and so i would be also reluctant -- i reluctantly oppose your amendment but i can assure you that both of us feel very...